Method of making linoleum



Aug. 23, 1932. M. s. McCONOUGHEY METHOD OF MAKING LINOLEUM Filed April 24. 1928 M Ma mm a M /Maw 4% ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23,1932 I I I 1,823,844,

v sr'rs; PATNT.

I s. MCCONOUGHEY, or 'rn'osoN, .enizone, ASSIGNOR 'ro CONGOLIEUM-NAIRN, mo,

a CORPORATION on NEW YORK OF MAKING LINOLEUM Application filed April 24, 1928. Serial No. 272,427.

The present invention relates to the manufacturing costs; A still further object of niact-ure of sheets of linoleum or thelike, my invention comprises the provision of awherein lump, or granularor other form of method whereby-unusually attractive decoraplastic linoleum composition is consolidated tive effects may be obtained by consolidating by means of calendering or sheetingrolls. Vari-colored plastic linoleum compositions This application is a continuation inpart of by means of calender rolls'to produce a varie: my copending application, Serial No.200,614, gatedpattern wherein the several color areas; filed'June 22, 1927, upon'which issued Patent are sharply defined. I No. 1,763,31e; According to the general practice of con- 1Q Various'primary types of floor coverings solidating plastic linoleum compositionby that are called linoleum were invented and ea Of Calender orsheeting rolls, the plastic were named linoleum by Walton more than material is fed to the sheeting-rolls at or fifty years ago. His original linoleum comslightly above atmospheric temperature. position consisted essentially of linoxyn- During the, consolidating operationa large 15 binder, comprising oxidized (polymerized) amount ol heat is developed by friction in linseed oil, resin'and kauri gum, especially the materialand between the material and prepared and combined with filling material he Consolidating rolls, causing thetemperasuch as wood pulp, ground cork or the like, e Of e mp s lon and 0f the rolls to with pigments sometimes addedto give-the llse ry n l r bly, say 0 25 -175 F- 0; desired color. It is characteristic of these 111 jt eeuee'the formedvsheet to adhere to compositions that they are plastic at normal to oneroll- 1n preference to the other, cold tmnperature SQ that they can be'roued to water 1S ClI'CLlll-tGCl' tlll'll thQ EODQtLIId steamf sheet iorm, and that thereafter they can'be h h b:y ereatlhg e'small Item" cured and oxidized by long continued expo- P r Cllfferehtlal between h T0115,

sure to hot air, to the elastic firmness characthe formed Sheet Sticking to t e there- 15 I so and substitutions have been made, usually-v teristic of the finished product. While nuh h m lh h of a'slhau temperature merous changes have been proposed in the ellflelentlal thle e Q 0W proportions of the materials used in the liselwe terplevlde y p v Control o the noleum composition, and various additions a-heehlte t p e of t Tells of. Of the.

composition, and the temperature of the sowith the View of improving some quality of Called Sheet y You y 7 the product, the essential characteristics of normally b of Prder Qf'125o150 the completed product and of the method-of d r g 9 e l Thus, under production are today generically the same as mer h contmuous P -t1 were fift years I v p I substantially COIlblIlllOllS 'operat1on, the work- The chief object of the present invention of thls mammal deielqps such large is to provide a novel method for the continumounts Q h that the P p surfelee ous production, by means of calendering or of h Sheetmg 1 becomes hot F remalhs sheeting rolls, of sheet linoleum from plastic conslderably above atmospherlc pe m linoleum composition of the generic type dethree e 111 the Case of Sheet y h 9G scribed above, but wherein the relative pro- You a ms a Central e through Whleh portion of the costly linoxyn binder or cement Weteh 13 I Related? At Such temperatures, is materially reduced, thereby effecting a subeven 111 splte 0f the Small temperature stantial decrease'in the cost of the finished felehhiel between the e h formed Sheet 4 product. A further objectoi my invention has a n y not to adhere t0 the 000161" is to provide a novel process for the continu- 1 to elthef roll) b to fall therefrOm ous production of sheet linoleum wherein at intervals and frequently to break, thereby the percentage of imperfect or damaged causing delays and damagedgoods. To regoods is very substantially decreased, this ducethe liability and frequency of these oc- 50 factor likewise operating to reduce the mancurrences, the proportion of the costly li- 10C noxyn cement in the linoleum composition is increased very considerably beyond that required for the production of a satisfactory finished product, in order to make the composition more sticky and therefore, more adherent to the sheet carrying roll. But even by adopting this expensive expedient, the difficulties are not Wholly avoided, and frequent delays are encountered and imperfect goods produced by failure of the formed linoleum sheet to adhere properly to the sheet carrying roll.

I have discovered that these difficulties may be overcome and the objects and advantages enumerated above may be obtained, if the sheeting rolls, or more particularly the roll which carries the sheet is prevented from heating up to the temperature that naturally results from the heat developed in the consolidating operation, say 125150 F., and

if such roll be positively cooled to and maintained at approximately atmospheric temperature or below. Broadly, my invention consists in consolidating plastic linoleum compo sition by means of sheeting or calender rolls, while positively controlling thetemperature of the sheet carrying roll to maintain the same at approximately atmospheric temperature, e. g. approximately 70 F., or, and preferably,'below, whereby the consolidation of the plastic linoleum composition is accomplished without any substantial rise in temperature. V

The above and other features of my invention may be more fully understood from the following description in connection with accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 represents a front new of a machine for sheeting plastic linoleum composition in accordance with my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line of 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the sheet carrying roll.

In the drawing, a pair of sheeting rolls, 1

and 2, rotate in suitable bearings carried by the frame, 3. The rolls are positively driven by any suitable mechanism, conventionally indicated by the pinion, 4, and gear, 5. A hopper or chute, 6, above the rolls, serves to receive the granular, lump or other form of plastic linoleum composition and to convey it to the bite of the rolls. In passing between the rolls, the plastic composition is consolidated by pressure to form a continuous sheet, 7 such consolidation being accompanied by the generation and liberation of a large amount of heat. The sheet, 7, thus formed, will tend to cling to the cooler of the two rolls, 2, commonly termed the carrying roll, and will be stripped therefrom by a doctor blade, 8, located in a suitable position.

In order to provide for rapid absorption of a large amount of heat and thereby be able to positively control the absolute temperature of the sheet carrying roll, 2, I employ a structure of special design which is capable of rapid heat transfer and is of such structural rigidity as to Withstand the enormous physical stresses to which rolls of this type are normally subjected. More particularly the roll, 2, is provided with a plurality of passages, 10, 10, etc, located near the periphery thereof, and communicating inlet, 12, circulated thru the passages, 10,

10, etc., and removed thru the outlet, 15. In this manner I am able to positively control the temperature of the sheet carrying roll and thereby continuouslyabsorb and remove substantially all of the heatgenerated in the consolidating operation. Since a small temperature differential between the rolls is required in order to cause the formed linoleum sheet to adhere to one roll in preference tothe other, roll 1 will not be maintained at as low a temperature as roll 2, and may normally be of the well known central bore type. However, instead of circulating steam therethru, as has been the practice heretofore, brine or cold water is used to aid in the absorption of heat.

Altho it will not usually be found necessary, additional cooling of the sheet carrying roll may be accomplished by means of an external cooling jacket positioned in heat transfer relation with surface of the roll, a suitable type of jacket being described in my copending application Serial No. 200,615, filed June 22, 1927.

In all events, sufficient refrigeration or cooling of the sheet carrying roll will be employed in order to maintain said roll at approximately atmospheric temperature or below, whereby the plastic linoleum composition is consolidated between the rolls without substantial rise in temperature of the composition. In some cases as for example, where the incoming plastic linoleum composition is relatively warm, it may even be found desirable to cause a reduction in the temperature of the composition during, and simultaneously with, the consolidating operation.

By positively controllin the temperature of the sheet carrying roll, as above indicated, I am able to maintain the formed linoleum sheet strongly adherent to the roll at all times. This avoids the difliculties above set forth, namely, the pr mature stripping of the sheet from the roll before reaching the doctor blade, which occurrence frequently causes the sheet to break and nearly alway.

produces a sheet having a rough surface, commonly known In the art as chatter marks. Furthermore, I i am able to employ.

a linoleum composition in which the relative proportion of the costly linoXyn cement is materially reduced, such less proportion of cement being'quite satisfactory for the pro duction of high quality product, but .which amount is insufficient to cause the formed sheet to steadily adhere to a roll whosetemperature is of the order of to F.

This saving in linoxyn cement together with the savingv effected-by the marked decrease in the percentage of damaged goods, very substantially reduces the cost otthe ultimate product.

My invention also enables the production of unusually attractive decorative effects when consolidating vari-colored linoleum composition, by reason of the fact that the.

relatively low temperature of the linoleum composition and sheet carrying roll during the consolidating operation, prevents any substantial smearing or blending of the several colors, particularly when the rolls are rotated at approximately the same speed. In this manner I am able to obtain a varie gated pattern wherein the several color areas are sharply defined. v

An advantage inherent in the rolling of linoleum composltion in accordance with this invention is that a gummy film does not form on rolls by which linoleum composition is treated and which are cooled 1n accordance with this invention, whereas such a film forms on rolls not so cooled and accumulates on the edge of a doctor blade used to strip the sheet of composition from the roll. The accumulated gum on the edge of the blade injures f and breaks the sheet and requires shutting down of the sheeting operation for'its removal.

position may posed of composition of different colors and may be composed of granules or lumps which a may or may not be of different colors. Moreover, the mass of linoleum composition may be either wholly unformed or may have already been formed into formed mass-es such as sheets, and such sheets may have been placed in overlapping relation. For example, as in Patent No. 1,768,31 above mentioned, which issued on the application of which this application is a continuation inpart, the mass of linoleum composition may comprise masses such as lumps or granules of different colors, and such mass may be rolled in one direction into sheets in which the different colors appear as striations extending in the direction in which the rolling occurred, and the resulting mass comprising said sheets is subsequently subjected to cross rolling as by maintaining a continuous supply of said sheets overlapped transversely to the striations caused by the first rolling. In such case the maintaining of the periphery, of that roll of the'cross rollers which contacts with the face of the resulting sheet, at or below a tem-' perature at which undesirable smearing ofv the composition and blending of the colors occurs, e. g. at a temperature not substantially above and preferably below atmospheric tem perature, according to this invention, affords a beautiful marble effect in which the colored portions are not smeared upon one another but .are clearly defined.

As'will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this invention contributes an importantadvance in the linoleum industry in that it teaches for thefirst time a method of sheeting linoleum composition under conditions of temperature discovered to provide unusual advantages, and which conditions are diametrically opposed to the heretofore acceptedtheory and practice of the linoleum ar't.. In

the teaching of this method and its advan-- tages the present inventor asserts his pioneership. l 'The calender roll described herein isgenerically and specifically claimed in a copending application Serial No. 272,019 filed April 23,1928. I a

I claim:

1. In a method of producing a sheet of linoleum composition wherein a" mass of plastic linoleum composition comprising compositions of different colors is i introduced and continuouslyconsolidated under pressure between sheeting rolls to produce a sheet of linoleum composition having a variegated design, the step comprising preventing the heat to which the sheeting rolls are subjected during substantially continu ous operation over a protracted period of time from increasing the temperature of the periphery of one ofthe rolls in contact with the linoleum to a temperature in excess of substantially atmospheric temperature.

2. In a method of producing a sheet of linoleum composition wherein a mass of plastic linoleum' composition comprising. compo sitions of different colors is introduced and continuously consolidated under pressure between sheeting rolls to produce .a sheet of linoleum composition having a variegated design, the step comprising maintainingthe temperature of the periphery of one of said rolls, by withdrawing heat fromsaid periphery, below that temperature at which sub-- stantial smearing orblending of'the different colors will occur, andthereby producing in the face of the resulting linoleum sheet a variegated'design ha ing clearly defined color areas.

3'. A process of making sheet linoleum composition which comprises introducing the composition to calender rolls, substantially continuosly Consolidating the composition between the rolls to form a consolidated sheet and thereby subjecting said rolls for indefinite periods of time to heat gener ated by work done upon the linoleum composition during said consolidation thereof under pressure between said rolls, and simultaneously circulating a refrigerant adjacent the periphery of one of said calender rolls and while said roll is in direct sheet-forming pressure contact with said composition, thereby maintaining the surface of said roll substantially at or below atmospheric temperature while in direct contact with said composition and during the consolidation of said composition into sheet form.

4. In a process of making a sheet of lineleum composition wherein a mass of linoleum composition composed of compositions of different colors is fed to sheeting rolls and is consolidated between said rolls under pressure to produce a sheet of linoleum composition having a variegated design, the steps comprising subjecting the mass of linoleum composition to a substantially continuous sheeting operation for an indefinite period of time, and simultaneously cooling the surface of one of said rolls and thereby maintaining said surface at" approximately atmospheric temperature or below, thereby preventing the smearing or blending of said linoleum compositions of different colors and preserving the definition between the different colors of said design.

- 5. In a method of rolling linoleum composition containing a drying oil binding material into sheet form between sheeting rolls wherein the sheeting rolls are subjected substantially continuously to heat generated by work done upon the linoleum composition during consolidation thereof under pressure between said sheeting rolls, the steps comprising maintaining substantially at or be low atmospheric temperature the periphery of one sheeting roll which is in contact with said linoleum composition and which forms one face of the resulting linoleum sheet, and maintaining the other of said rolls at a substantially higher temperature, and thereby imparting to the sheet increased tensile strength and causing it to adhere to the cooler of said rolls.

6.111 a process of making a sheet of linosition having a variegated design, the steps ture at which substantial smearing or blending of the linoleum compositions of different colors will occur, to produce in the face of the resulting linoleum sheet a Variegated design having clearly defined color areas.

In testimony whereof, I aiiiX mysignature.

MERLE S. MQOONOUGHEY. 

